Coordination of operational activities is time-sensitive and drives a large part of data exchanges between entities, even if they have no direct contractual relationship. The driver for these exchanges is often an event related to a specific project or order, such as planning updates, handovers, payments, compliance checks, or physical activities.

Notifications as effective coordination trigger

Events generate notifications (metadata) that are distributed to a selective group of entities by the “owner” of the event. The distribution of these notifications is orchestrated by the Principal responsible for the overarching task. This coordination, often referred to as choreography, ensures that the right entities are informed at the right time.

As data exchanges therefore cross organizational boundaries, the distribution mechanism must account for the fact that different entities may have varying security policies and protective measures, such as firewalls.

Order-specific closed network

The creation of a (virtual) closed instances of parties involved in fulfilling an order is specific to that order. This operational network is formed when the order begins and dissolves once the order is completed. Preferred suppliers may repeatedly participate in fulfilling different orders, and authorities may be involved as needed for compliance checks, depending on applicable regulations.

Implications

The implication is that entities have a business relationship that is established before starting the data exchange. The second implication is that an entity may participate in multiple concurrent dynamically created (and later dissolved) instances of virtual operational networks.